The role of the internet in building social capital amongst homosexually active men: virtual communities in HIV prevention. Social capital comprises features of social organisation such as civic participation, norms of reciprocity and trust in others that facilitate cooperation for mutual benefit, including health and wellbeing. The proposed research focuses on the role of the internet in producing the networks that engender social inclusion and community connectedness. There is scepticism about ....The role of the internet in building social capital amongst homosexually active men: virtual communities in HIV prevention. Social capital comprises features of social organisation such as civic participation, norms of reciprocity and trust in others that facilitate cooperation for mutual benefit, including health and wellbeing. The proposed research focuses on the role of the internet in producing the networks that engender social inclusion and community connectedness. There is scepticism about whether the 'virtual community' of the Internet can build social capital. The study will explore the potential benefits as well as harms to those homosexually active men who use the internet to access health information, meet sexual partners and build friendships that affirm gay identity and community inclusion.Read moreRead less
An action research project to strengthen inter-professional learning and practice across the ACT health system. There are 14 beneficial reasons why this project is vital to the fabric of our nation. These include: the economic benefits of a more efficient health-care system; the social benefits of more responsive and resilient workplaces; the research benefits of better knowledge about how professionals can work together effectively; the consumer benefits of improved patient care; health sector ....An action research project to strengthen inter-professional learning and practice across the ACT health system. There are 14 beneficial reasons why this project is vital to the fabric of our nation. These include: the economic benefits of a more efficient health-care system; the social benefits of more responsive and resilient workplaces; the research benefits of better knowledge about how professionals can work together effectively; the consumer benefits of improved patient care; health sector benefits in assisting health reforms to be more effective; and education sector benefits in understanding how professionals from different disciplines can learn together more collaboratively. The benefits are transferable to other industries and professional groups, as well as to Australia's international partners.Read moreRead less
Impact of parents' employment on children's well-being: The influence of employment quality, time and activities with children, and parenting practices. Most Australian children now grow-up in families where both their mother and their father are employed. Using a new national dataset, this research examines how parents' working conditions are related to children's well-being. It is proposed that parents' availability, resources, and family functioning mediate between parental employment and chi ....Impact of parents' employment on children's well-being: The influence of employment quality, time and activities with children, and parenting practices. Most Australian children now grow-up in families where both their mother and their father are employed. Using a new national dataset, this research examines how parents' working conditions are related to children's well-being. It is proposed that parents' availability, resources, and family functioning mediate between parental employment and child outcomes. The Growing-Up in Australia study (available in 2005) surveys 10,000 children, combining measures of child well-being, existing validated measures of work conditions and family functioning, with a new child-focused diary that measures time and activities undertaken with children. New knowledge generated will inform future policy development.Read moreRead less
Developmental pathways to health, education and delinquency outcomes in Western Australia children: a holistic approach to inform early intervention strategies. This project will pioneer population-level data linkages between WA's population health databases and information held by the WA Departments of Education (numeracy and literacy), Justice (juvenile delinquency), Disabilities, and Community Development (child protection). The project will describe temporal, regional, socioeconomic and raci ....Developmental pathways to health, education and delinquency outcomes in Western Australia children: a holistic approach to inform early intervention strategies. This project will pioneer population-level data linkages between WA's population health databases and information held by the WA Departments of Education (numeracy and literacy), Justice (juvenile delinquency), Disabilities, and Community Development (child protection). The project will describe temporal, regional, socioeconomic and racial patterns of developmental outcomes, key risk and protective factors and identify pathways to health and wellbeing, education and juvenile delinquency outcomes among WA children and youth, including those who have had contact with the Child Protection System. Outcomes for specific groups identified as ät risk" will also be examined".Read moreRead less
Understanding heavy alcohol consumption cultures among nurses and lawyers . This Project aims to investigate drinking cultures among nurses and lawyers – two sizeable Australian workforces where heavy drinking is common. Addressing drinking cultures among social groups is an emerging strategy to complement population and individual level efforts to reduce alcohol-related harm. Alcohol use among workers has implications for health, safety and performance, yet researchers have paid little attentio ....Understanding heavy alcohol consumption cultures among nurses and lawyers . This Project aims to investigate drinking cultures among nurses and lawyers – two sizeable Australian workforces where heavy drinking is common. Addressing drinking cultures among social groups is an emerging strategy to complement population and individual level efforts to reduce alcohol-related harm. Alcohol use among workers has implications for health, safety and performance, yet researchers have paid little attention to occupational drinking cultures. Using rigorously collected qualitative and quantitative data, this Project expects to generate new knowledge on sociocultural practices and meanings of drinking in the groups, illuminate relations between drinking cultures and harms, and enable innovative intervention opportunities.
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Building connections: schools as community hubs. This project aims to support school systems and planning authorities enhance engagement between schools and local communities. The key objective is to advance the cost-effective development of the infrastructure required to deliver community programs and services from school sites, in addition to education programs for school-aged students. The project expects to generate new knowledge about how best to plan, design, govern and manage facilities a ....Building connections: schools as community hubs. This project aims to support school systems and planning authorities enhance engagement between schools and local communities. The key objective is to advance the cost-effective development of the infrastructure required to deliver community programs and services from school sites, in addition to education programs for school-aged students. The project expects to generate new knowledge about how best to plan, design, govern and manage facilities and infrastructure to enable schools to operate successfully as more than a school, encouraging the development of resilient and connected communities. The outcomes are expected to include a development framework for maximising schools as community hubs.Read moreRead less
Exploring the experience of security in the Australian Vietnamese community: practical implications for policing. Effective policing in Victoria depends upon sensitive relations with complex communities, but police experience persistent difficulties in implementing community policing strategies with the Australian Vietnamese community. Vietnamese residents call for police action and protection from drug and gambling-related crime. However, police find it difficult to build effective communicati ....Exploring the experience of security in the Australian Vietnamese community: practical implications for policing. Effective policing in Victoria depends upon sensitive relations with complex communities, but police experience persistent difficulties in implementing community policing strategies with the Australian Vietnamese community. Vietnamese residents call for police action and protection from drug and gambling-related crime. However, police find it difficult to build effective communication and co-operation with a community that seems reticent and lacking in trust. This project explores solutions to these problems, drawing on qualitative research on attitudes, experience of security and insecurity, institutional culture and cultural understandings amongst both police and community members. Read moreRead less
The Wellbeing of Communities: Cultural Activities, Social Health and Community Sustainability. This project will examine the full impact of cultural activities such as arts events, festivals and commemorations on the sustainability of communities. Most contemporary evaluation of community activities tends to assess single events out of context. By contrast, this project will comparatively examine specific communities in depth, and across multiple activities. The project will generate a broad emp ....The Wellbeing of Communities: Cultural Activities, Social Health and Community Sustainability. This project will examine the full impact of cultural activities such as arts events, festivals and commemorations on the sustainability of communities. Most contemporary evaluation of community activities tends to assess single events out of context. By contrast, this project will comparatively examine specific communities in depth, and across multiple activities. The project will generate a broad empirical foundation, hitherto unavailable, for developing an analytical understanding of the relationship between community building and individual wellbeing. It will develop a model for understanding the real effects of cultural practices, enabling governments and funding bodies to assess how best to support communities.Read moreRead less
Stewarding thin markets: improving public sector market effectiveness. This project aims to develop methodologies to identify thin markets in the public service sector. Thin markets, where there are a low number of buyers or low number of sellers, are a major risk for governments utilising a personalised approach to service delivery. This project will develop new methodologies for identifying thin markets and determine ways emerging markets can be stewarded to better achieve their aims.
The implications of welfare reform for single parent families in their transition to paid work. The study will clarify the policy and practice implications of welfare reform by focussing on its implementation and impacts. These findings will: provide single parents with insight into the experience of returning to work; enable social welfare agencies to design programs and services to meet the changing needs of single parents; provide data for welfare policy review and development; and contribute ....The implications of welfare reform for single parent families in their transition to paid work. The study will clarify the policy and practice implications of welfare reform by focussing on its implementation and impacts. These findings will: provide single parents with insight into the experience of returning to work; enable social welfare agencies to design programs and services to meet the changing needs of single parents; provide data for welfare policy review and development; and contribute to the theory and evidence base for ongoing debates such as the effect of combining multiple roles (for example work and parenting) on single parents and the implications of voluntary versus mandatory welfare to work programs.Read moreRead less